Solved - the mystery of Easter Island

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All my life the Easter Island has presented a number of mysteries, eg how did they move the Moai? What happened to the islands ecology? These questions have been answered by some recent studies.

The walking Moai.

The Moai that were left lying on route have rounded bases and they can be moved forward rocking them, voila, a walking Moai - see video. The bases were then carved flat at the destination and the statues erected. Simple. We don't need space aliens, Atlanteans or portals to other dimensions, just hard work and human ingenuity.

What caused the deforestation of the island - rats!

"The island was deforested by the end of the 17th century. This mystery also yielded to systematic analysis. We analyzed data from previous archaeological excavations. Rather than finding increased rat consumption by people, indicating dietary stress from a lack of other food sources, remains of rats eaten by people decreased over time while seafood dominated throughout.

Ecological modeling revealed what we think really happened. Polynesian rats, introduced with the arrival of the first Polynesian colonists around 1200, could grow into a population of millions within just a few years. By eating 95% of the island’s tree seeds, rats prevented forest regeneration. Humans cleared land for cultivation, but rats made the recovery of the palm forests impossible. The synergistic interaction seems to have accelerated deforestation within five centuries.

This wasn’t “ecocide” – intentional self-destruction – but rather unintended ecological transformation caused by an introduced species. Our research also demonstrated that the Rapanui adapted through the use of rock mulch agriculture, which improved soil productivity. They continued to eat seafood and produce monuments for 500 years after deforestation began."

Drones, physics and rats: Studies show how the people of Rapa Nui made and moved the giant statues – and what caused the island’s deforestation

The mysteries of Easter Island, subjects of speculation for centuries, yield to scientific inquiry.

theconversation.com